Prosphora Recipe and Steps
-Before starting, have a warm place ready for dough to rise. I set my oven on warm for 10 minutes then turn it off, that way it's a comfortable temp for dough to rise.
1) Fill tea kettle with water and put on stove top until boiling.
2) While waiting for water to boil, pour a 5lb bag of bread flour into a large pot or bowl. I use King Aurthur Bread flour, if you can't find it, any bread flour will work.
3) When water is boiled, pour 3 cups boiling water over flour and mix it together, you can mix with large spatula or spoon.
4) Let that cool for about 10 minutes, when flour with water feels warm, (not hot to touch) get a small bowl and put 2 tablespoons of yeast in there with 2 cups warm, (not hot) water. Stir and let sit for 2-3 minutes then pour yeast and water into bowl with flour.
5) Add a dash of salt to mixture.
6) Stir everything together having about 2-3 cups of warm water to the side to add in while you start kneading the dough. Knead by hand, or with mixer until dough starts to form into a ball, add water as needed to form correct consistency.
7) Once dough is formed, cover and put in warm spot to rise for 1 hour.
8) Take dough out after one hour and re knead it until ball of dough is formed again. Cover and place in warm spot for one more hour for second rising of dough.
9) Once dough is finished rising, take out of oven. Set oven to pre heat to 325 degrees and put a small pan of water on bottom shelf of oven under the spot you will be putting the baking sheets of prosphora.
10) Put a thin layer of flour on top of counter or rolling surface so dough doesn't stick. Take out 2 palm fulls of dough and place on floured surface. Sprinkle extra flour on top and begin rolling with rolling pin.
11) Start cutting your dough with the medium circle cutter. I usually do 6-8 circles. Leave enough room to punch 6-8 small seals and then cut those out using small circle cutter. Brush water on top of medium circles. Set small sealed tops on top and then push small circle cutter over top of the two circle pieces you just stacked together. That way they will be the same size circles on the top and bottom. Place 5 piercings through dough as shown.
12) Place prosphora on baking sheet and put in oven. Should cook for 12-16 minutes. Turn halfway through baking time to make sure they are evenly baking.
13) When done, bottom should be browned and should make a hollow sound when tapped on. Set aside to cool. After 4 hours, put into large freezer bag and place in freezer.
14) For medium size prosphora, do all the same steps but use the large prosphora cutter to cut out 2-3 circles and then press medium seal on dough and cut it out with large cutter of same size. Brush water on bottom half and put sealed circle on top. Do the same 5 piercings and place in oven. Will take longer to cook. 18-20 min. Turn baking sheet half way through baking. Bottom of prosphora should be brown and should sound hollow when tapped on.
-I do 4-5 med. prosphora per batch, the rest should be small size.